Take my will, and make it thine
Praise God for the priviledge of being apart of His work in this world! I just got home from leading the bunch of yr7 girls i lead every friday night. They are crazy in a way that only a bunch of yr7 girls can be, but they are also (slowly) growing in spiritual maturity, which is very exciting to see!Anyway, let me share with you some of what we studied tonight....
In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus cries out these words to the Father
"Yet not as I will, but as you will."
A sentence that should not only change my life and yours, but the entire world. So much is at stake here. If Jesus is to give into his human desire here, then we have no hope of ever winning. Dont you see, if Jesus did as we seem to do every single day and gave into his human desire then we would have no hope at all. Praise God that He did not and instead understood the need to do the will of the Father. If only we could truely do the same!
Here is what Michael Card says on the subject in his book 'A Violent Grace':
"When you think about it, every temptation we face gets it power from our desire to say yes to ourselves - to our own rights, wants, and needs - and no to God. The Bible's word for that response is disobedience. It's a pattern that began with Adam and Eve. Surely the serpant deceived them when he tempted them to taste the forbidden fruit, just as Satan often deceives us in our moments of testing. But deception is just the bait. The trap is always sprung by a clear choice to disobey God - to say "Not thy will, but mine be done."At Gethsemane, although Satan has done his best to confuse and deceive Him, Jesus chooses painful obedience. If choice is one side of the coin in overcoming temptation, then cost is the other. To make a choice is to slay the alternative. "Life is in the blood," declares the law (Leviticus 17:11, 14; Deuteronomy 12:23), and every dark drop that trickles down Jesus' cheek is proof of what the Savior is willing to pay for you and me.
Not my will, but thine be done
.He is willing to lose all so that we can win all."
Yes, Jesus (understandably) does not want to die. But he is obedient to the will of the Father. And we are saved as a result.What other response could we have to this but to do the same?!?!
Jesus prays 'not my will but yours be done". I dont know about you but I think I should be praying this every single day.
At the risk of making this post extremely long, let me share with you something else... The absolutely wonderful JT gave me the Garage Hymnal cd last week and I have to share with you the lyrics of the title track, 'Take My Life'. On the subject of living each day for the will of the Father - rather than my own will - this song is a beautiful expression of that attitude and a wonderful reminder of that prayer.
Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee
Take my moments and my days
Let them flow in ceaseless praise
Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only, for my King
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love
Take my feet, and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee
Take my love, my Lord I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee
Ever, only, all for Thee
Take my silver and my gold
Not a mite would I withhold
Take my intellect and use
Every power as You will choose
Take my will, and make it thine
It shall be no longer mine
Take my heart, it is thine own
It shall be Thy royal throne
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love
Take my feet, and let them be
Swift and beautiful for TheeTake my love, my Lord I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee Ever, only, all for Thee
2 Comments:
That verse from Leviticus has rung loudly in the back of my mind for years, but seems to go relatively unmentioned in common Christian communication. I love it! Perhaps I have fallen down in doing my part putting it on the agenda a bit more. For that I appoligize, but here's me beginning to make up for it -
"The life is in the blood"!!
Great post, Chels :)
JT
I know how cool is it?!
Its just exactly what its all about hey, LIFE coming from that blood shed, but not only that but actually living IN that, each day, as a response...
nice one jt.
make sure u do bring it back on the agenda i reckon! :)
C.
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